Numinous
by Fruitiest of Mallards
Summary: After being transformed into a monster dog and back, Heidi is shaken. While hearing stories of her brother saving the Ninja, she wonders if she's ever really known his best friend.../AU beginning from 'Sorcerer in Love 2: The Sorceress' Revenge.'
1. Rescued

The first thing Heidi Wienerman saw when she came to was Randy Cunningham's concerned face. She gasped, on the verge of hyperventilating; what happened? Why was she here, on cold, dusty stone floor, heart beating like she'd almost died? She grasped at her blouse, as if to hold her chest still. It heaved. Strands of ginger hair fell in her eyes, her wide blue gaze rolled around, took in the sight of Morgan the dancer and the flute girl Elinor unconscious and unmoving a few feet from her.

Her back was crushed up against the cave wall, and she made no move to stand up. Her legs were boneless and her arms were seized up. A horrible stench perforated her memory. She wanted to cry out, _Get it out, I hate it,_ but no words came. Her mouth was full of cotton.

Cunningham's familiar voice, one she'd heard since he and her brother were small, was firm, laced with something she'd never heard in it before. Not an emotion, something _more_, "You were turned into a monster, but it's okay now," he told her, slowly, as if she might panic. Her eyes grew damp, and she stared straight into his, as if he were her lifeline, and for all she knew, he was. He didn't seem unnerved by her intensity. He met it with an equal amount of meaningfulness, "It's over. The Sorceress is gone," with those last words something in his face hardened, "She won't be back. I'll call 911. Someone will come for us. I'll stay here with you."

It was a long moment before she nodded. The Sorceress. She hadn't known that that _thing_ which vaguely resembled a woman had a name. It made sense, she realized, sorcerers practiced evil, dark magic, and that was the only thing she could think of to describe what had overtaken her and the two other girls. She looked at Morgan and Elinor again. There must have been more like them. People who were caught in the crossfire. What about them? The club had been _full_ of people. Where had they gone?

Once more, no words formed on her lips. Randy's voice talking into the receiver became distant although he had moved closer to her, not leaving her side. She wanted to hold his hand. He was a paragon of bravery to her right now. She was weaker than she'd ever been and he was _protecting_ her, _helping_ her. When had he grown up? The Ninja might have fought the monster, but at the moment, Randall Cunningham was her savior. What if she'd never been found in these catacomb-like caves? Been lost forever? She owed him her life.

He'd always been a decent enough kid, her little brother's biffer. He wasn't a good influence, not anymore than Howard himself was, but he wasn't a bad one, either. He and Howard cared a lot about each other, especially recently, buried in their own secrets. It didn't take a rocket scientist to notice. She could sense it between them pretty much since the day it began, though hints of what the secret actually _was_ eluded her.

In the past she at times resented Randy for stealing away her brother's attention, or if she was feeling particularly petty, his affection. Such thoughts were brushed aside immediately every time they reared their ugly head, they were annoying young boys, anyway, who cared?

As of now, she did.

* * *

Her mother was beyond upset, "Oh, baby girl," she sobbed, holding her daughter close to her, hands clutching the small of Heidi's back, "You must have been terrified." Heidi felt inclined to agree, but she couldn't even remember much of it. The sheer agony her parents experienced getting that phone call from the police...she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about anything, but as luck would have it, her brain insisted of continuing on. Her mom and dad's combined presence soothed her nerves.

_Randy,_ the name flew across her mind like a wisp, but she did not ask about him.

"Why me?" She spoke for the first time since awakening, "How'd I get caught in it?"

Her father's mouth tightened, "I just don't know, Heidi. It doesn't matter now. It's over."

_It's over,_ Randy had said.

* * *

The Wienerman home was completely quiet as the whole house slept like the dead, sans Heidi herself. Her brother, in his room, wrapped in his secrecy—she wanted to know, more than she'd ever wanted to know anything, and she wanted to know everything—her parents in the master bedroom, so relieved that both of their children were alive and well despite the chaos they'd lived through, resting from the shock and disbelief of learning that it was their son who pulled the Ninja from the swirling vortex of who-knew-what, of being informed their daughter was unharmed after what she endured.

And Cunningham, a block away, walking distance, in a different house, sound asleep. Or maybe not. He'd been overlooked. Heidi hadn't seen him, yanked into an ambulance by EMTs as quickly as she was. Did she see another EMT approaching him, examining him? She hoped she did. He deserved to be checked on, too. It stuck out in her mind how limp Elinor and Morgan had been as they were carted into their own ambulances. She would try and find out more about them in the morning. The news must be covering the entire thing, they'd be fools not to. The hum of helicopters above lingered in her ears.

Normally, the hospital staff said, they would have kept Heidi overnight. However, she hadn't so much as a bruise, x-rays showed nothing unusual, and it was a blessing in and of itself, her dad claimed. Her parents leaped at the chance to just _go home._ The long talk Howard had with the police about the Ninja left the three of them—him, their mom and dad—tired. He dozed in the car on the ride home. Heidi had passed the self-pity stage by then, and was sorry for him. While she had been oblivious and wreaking havoc—she shuddered—he had been huddled with a group of other kids trying to find safety.

Then, he'd summoned all his courage despite his fear and...

She wasn't certain how it went down. All she knew was that the Ninja publicly thanked him afterward. She hadn't seen that either, lying on a hospital bed. It must have been something. Strangely, Howard didn't appear as awed as she expected. Drained, yes. Overwhelmed by his own actions and the Ninja's acknowledgment of them, no. She cleared her brain as best she could and buried her face in her pillow. Sleep. She needed to sleep.

Was Cunningham as distraught and sleepless as her?

_Randy..._

* * *

Neither Heidi or Howard went to school the next day. It was a Wednesday, and nothing happened of note. She slept, ate, watched the news—Morgan and Elinor were fine, Heidi herself was dismissed fairly quickly by the newspeople—stared at Howard contemplatively whenever she happened by him, until he fidgeted in discomfort. He didn't ask if she was okay. She wondered why. Then again, she wasn't interrogating him on what he'd done, how he felt about it. Her usual talkative, investigative nature was dimmed.

It wasn't till the sun was going down that she looked up from the book she was only passively skimming through to look at Howard, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from her. "How's your friend?" She asked him. He started.

"What do you mean? Randy's fine, nothing even happened to him," the words blundered out.

"He saved me," she went on.

Howard was absolutely frozen.

"He _found _me, after I changed back. He called the police," well, more specifically, he'd called 911, but it was an officer who rushed to their aid first, "And I haven't thanked him for it, yet."

"Oh," Howard sighed like he was expecting something completely different. Heidi took note. "Yeah, uh, he's a great guy. He helps people a lot more than you think," he paused, as if backtracking, "I mean...yeah. He'll be at school tomorrow, I'm sure."

"How did you know?"

He blinked, shook himself, the faraway look in his eye replaced by something more alert, "What?"

"You act like you knew. I don't think Mom and Dad told you." She'd had trouble telling _them_, but she had to, they had to know who to be grateful to.

Howard swallowed, "Um...it's obvious."

'Obvious.'

How could it ever be...

Nothing more was said. Heidi absorbed it all. It gave her a headache to dwell on it anymore. She decided to take a nap.


	2. Something New

Someone had texted her McFistPad in the middle of the night.

It would have been alarming anytime else, but this time it was understandable, she guessed. Except, it wasn't one of her many friends, wanting to know how she was faring. It was a boy. _U ok?_ It read. One of the numerous boys who wanted to date her, to...well, do things with her, which she wasn't at all willing to do. She was too focused on her schooling and future as a reporter to mess with stuff like that. It would only distract her. Not to say she didn't flirt, but...

She ignored it.

Heidi was a teenage girl, wrought with hormones and growing pains as any other, which meant that she thought about boys. It was natural, though she didn't think less of a handful of girls she knew who thought about other girls. She tried to be supportive of everyone, even those most of the people in her school didn't hold in very high regard, including her brother and his best friend. Howard and Randy had always been a strange, distinct pair in the halls of Norrisville High, since their arrival not even a school-year previous.

They were freshmen, and in spite of their constant whining and disappointment that they couldn't quite squeeze their way into any social groups aside from the loner introverts, they were more known than they were aware. Students openly watched them walk by, expectantly, listening in to whatever outrageous conversation they were having at the moment. What they said never made sense, the two boys were perpetually stuck in their own little world, blind to everyone else around them.

_"So what's the plan today, Cunningham?"_ Howard would ask, shrugging his backpack a little to the left of his back for better comfort, locker clicking shut. She could imagine it as clearly as if it were happening right in front of her.

Randy glanced at him, he was staring intently ahead at his own reflection, as if trying to determine who he was. Heidi was imposing her own new feelings toward him in her daydream ('feelings,' her mind echoed, but that was a bit too far, wasn't it? For one, he was younger than her), she realized, but it seemed to fit, _"None so far, Howard, but we're getting there, there hasn't been a robot attack for two days, I'm kinda anxious..."_

Robots. Monsters. The Ninja. Howard and Cunningham's prime obsession. They had been totally fixated on the larger-than-life figure since childhood, in the way some kids loved dinosaurs or horses. It was like they were experts on anything going on even slightly related to the Ninja, and Heidi had met some hardcore fanatics in her time interviewing people. She didn't think that was strange, it was one of their signature characteristics together. The Ninja had always been special to Howard, but with Randy, especially as a little kid, it ran deeper.

That hadn't changed, with the way they were these days, it only appeared to have intensified.

Maybe she could find a path into their daily routine in that manner. Express an interest in the Ninja. It wouldn't the be the first time she'd faked something in order to get into peoples' good graces. That sounded bad, but she never meant harm by it. Besides, it wouldn't be particularly fake, either. Everyone in Norrisville cared what the Ninja was up to, usually because what he was doing was basically always for their sakes. She could manage that.

If anyone deserved a new friend in a time like this it was those two.

She settled into her usual seat in the family car and yanked her schoolbag onto her lap. Her parents were both in the front seats, this morning was a special occasion. Howard sat beside her, quiet. They had driven this route dozens and dozens of times in the past, it was the road to Cunningham's house. There was something different about this time, though. It had an air of relevance.

Nobody spoke on the ride there. When they parked on the curb, the front door of the yellowish home opened immediately. The car's engine slowed to a standstill and Heidi, on impulse, was the first to open a door. Her feet touched sidewalk, and she was tempted to walk straight across the lawn grass, but that might be rude. So she followed the concrete walkway and said, rather audaciously in her opinion, "Hi, Mrs. Cunningham. I just..." her bravado flickered, "I wanted to thank him for finding me."

Her father and Randy's mother had spoken on the phone the night before, late at night. Ava Cunningham was a tall, thin woman, with her son's purple hair but not his blue eyes. They were hazel, and layered with different emotions, one of the foremost being exhaustion—her usual ponytail was looser than she liked to allow it to be, and Heidi thought she knew her pretty well, as much as a kid can know some other kid's parent, that was—but she nodded anyway, "I understand. I still can't believe he did that," the last sentence was more aimed at Heidi's approaching father than Heidi herself, "I'm proud of him."

"I think you should be," said her father. Howard hung around behind.

Ava called inside, "Randy? They're here." There was a shuffling sound, a silhouette coming closer, visible through the screen door. Heidi's breath hitched, seeing him again woke memories of the coldness, the unfamiliarity of waking up somewhere she didn't know. In a second he was standing next to his mom, facing Heidi. He blinked as the morning daylight reached his eyes, she could see his pupils adjust.

"Hey," he said, features bright with alertness, hands shoved in his pockets, "It's nice to see you're doing okay."

"I really wanted to thank you, I didn't get the chance to before," she began. He listened, "I...uh...I want to be your friend. I never paid much attention to you, before," she rambled, then stopped, winced. A wave of amusement washed over the six of them. He looked surprised at first, thrown. Then he grinned. A small grin, too benevolent to be a smirk. She thought his eyes flicked to her brother.

"It's okay. You have your own life, and stuff." His next words seemed to catch him, like he didn't know what to say, "I wouldn't mind being friends at all. I know you have a busy social life," _Which I still have because of you. You and the Ninja, but how am I supposed to thank the Ninja?_ This was the closest she was going to get, "And...yeah. That would be great. Right, Howard?" He met her brother's eyes pointedly. Everyone looked at him.

Howard was unprepared, "Uh, sure. Of course. After all that..." he let it hang.

In hindsight, she guessed it was silly to think he would accept without checking with his biffer first. She smiled, her first true smile since yesterday. This was the start of something new.


	3. A Dark Opportunity

School that day was interesting. Heidi's friends swarmed her, asking if she was alright, if she'd been hurt, if she needed comfort. It was what friends were supposed to do, she figured, but it was hardly necessary. She was still alive, after all, and well enough to come back to school the next day of all things. In anywhere else but Norrisville, what had happened would have been a much bigger deal, but when you lived where Heidi lived, you got used to these things happening, learned to live with them and bounce back minutes—okay, sometimes hours—later.

She wondered when Morgan and Elinor would be back. When students were turned into monsters they didn't tend to be comatose like they were for so long. She hoped _they_ were fine, and made a point to tell her girlfriends that before first period ended. She wondered how Randy and Howard were faring. Probably bored, if she knew them. But, there'd been a light in Cunningham's eyes before they'd parted, and if it was there when she saw him next, it would be nice. She wondered what she could do for him...elevating his social status was an obvious one, but surely, there must be more. Something less...trivial.

Having a friend meant a lot more than people gave it credit for. She guessed she'd have to settle with that for now.

"Randy Cunningham is the one who found me—and Morgan and Elinor—in that cave. And you all know what my brother did by now, I bet."

That stopped everybody. Heidi sighed. It seemed she wasn't the only one who had filed her brother and Randy away in the back of their minds as unimportant. Time to fix that.

A while later second period rolled around, and Heidi felt nearly back into her routine, if it weren't for the fact she was tired of talking. That rarely happened, she loved to speak. But everyone's inquiries just wore her out.

* * *

Viceroy watched robotic arms piece together his newest project. The machinery was the epitome of precise, and he'd never known it to make an error. Carefully the different parts were welded, screwed in, or wired. Downloaded. The latest technology was used, as always. When it came to Willem Viceroy III, only the best would suffice. He interlaced his fingers, realizing he'd been standing in the same spot for far longer than a few moments. He was lost deep in thought, when the cogs started working, he found it was difficult to stop them...and why would he ever? He lived and breathed ingenuity.

This 'newest project' was yet another scheme to destroy the Ninja. It was his main job, after all, and he was paid to do it, so why not? When it was first proposed to him, he'd had doubts. He'd had fears. The Ninja was a respected individual, and all evidence pointed to the obvious fact that he was a _powerful_ individual. He had control over the elements, could perform physical feats which defied physics blatantly. He was hundreds of years old, and as much as it stung Viceroy's pride to admit it, the man probably knew things he himself could never dream of with his years of high education.

Well, let no one say that Viceroy reacted cowardly to challenges.

Things would be easier if the Ninja had anything to really _lose_, something he and McFist could _threaten_. There was Norrisville High, which his robots attacked regularly, but there was never any loss of life. Injuries were scarce. The Ninja was that fast, he was that efficient. He was never seen except for when he was needed. He was elusive. If he didn't want to be found, he would not be found. Kind of a token ninja trait, but the Ninja took it to unnatural levels. He had to go _somewhere_, had to have a place to rest. He couldn't be so inhuman that he didn't need a break every few days. At least.

Viceroy frowned fiercely. He regretted not studying magic and the supernatural more in university, but at the time it hadn't been important at all. There were experts in that field who could better theorize the Ninja's nature than he could. He was sure they had. It most likely had been covered up by authorities—the Ninja was doing good things, helping people, why expose his possible weaknesses? Hm. He'd have to hack and find them out for himself, in that case.

A thought drifted across his mind. Did the Ninja have friends? Family? Relatives were impossible, he was more or less eight hundred years old, those who were closest to him in blood had died out long, long ago. Did he have a life? Had he transcended mundane trivialities...no longer needed companionship like a normal human being...

Viceroy sighed, letting the train of thought trail off.

He often did this these days. After nearly a year of hunting the Ninja, he'd come to obsess over him, hate him. Hate was not indifference. He found himself wanting to _know_, wanting to get every piece of information possible on the hero, and _turn that information against the Ninja in every way imaginable._

Let no one say that Viceroy was not a vengeful man.

Another tense moment passed. He sat in a revolving chair.

He twirled a pen in his hand as something dawned on him.

Who was that _boy?_

The one who had _helped_ the Ninja just the day before. That incident had nothing to do with Viceroy's destructive robots, and that was exactly why he had taken note of it. Any possible ally against the Ninja was worthy of being noted. Too bad, whatever that green, purple-clad 'woman' had been, she'd been apparently sealed away in some Land of Shadows, or whatever. He didn't care now that it didn't matter. What did matter was that _boy_.

The boy—Viceroy couldn't recall his name—had become a celebrity overnight, news vans clamored in front of Norrisville High to get an interview with him. He hadn't been spotted, probably stayed home, or sneaked in through the school doors in the crowds of students who poured in every morning. As the school was a frequent target of Viceroy's creations he was familiar with it and knew it quite well.

The Ninja...thanked the boy. In public. The first words he'd ever spoken to anyone in front of live cameras. There was no possible way to deny it, videos sprang up on the Internet like wildfire.

A devilish smirk spread across Willem Viceroy's face.

He could do something with this.


End file.
